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Five-star Rashaan Evans had second thoughts leading up to Alabama-Auburn decision

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Alabama All Star Rashaan Evans (40) of Auburn High School during practice for the AHSAA Alabama-Mississippi All Star game Wednesday, Dec. 11, 2013, at Faulkner University in Montgomery, Ala. (Julie Bennett/jbennett@al.com)

AUBURN, Alabama -- Inside the bag resting between Rashaan Evans and his mother inside Auburn High's gymnasium were two hats.

There was the crimson Alabama cap, with the white "A" logo adorning the front, and an Auburn hat buried underneath it. For a moment Wednesday the Auburn High linebacker stretched his much-anticipated announcement for a few more moments as he rummaged through the bag until he surprised family, friends and media members by slowly revealing an Alabama cap from under the table.

"It was down to the wire," said Evans' father, Alan Evans. "We could have pulled the Auburn hat out and we would have been just as happy. I think he made the best decision for him and I think he's going to be happy at the University of Alabama."

Evans decided on Alabama late Tuesday night, but did not alert Alabama or Auburn coaches until Wednesday morning. Many recruiting experts favored Auburn on signing day, but the nation's top outside linebacker became the second five-star prospect out of Auburn High to pick Alabama over their hometown team in as many years.

"I had a lot of second thoughts," Rashaan Evans said. "I saw my family here, and most of them are Auburn alumni. Just the fact that I'm not going to Auburn, it's still kind of saddening a little bit, but at the end of the day I knew what school was best for me and that kind of overrode the whole emotion part of it."

"My mom actually told me, if you have any change in mind which school that you want to go to, she said whatever (hat) you reach down and get, we're going to support you regardless of who it is," Evans said.

Evans said he was considering UCLA "at one point" because he wanted to "get away from all of this."

Evans filed his letter of intent to Alabama an hour following his announcement shortly before 11 a.m., which was televised nationally on ESPNU. He'll return to Auburn in an Alabama uniform in 2015 for the Iron Bowl. Evans, who celebrated the Tigers' last-second victory against Alabama in the Iron Bowl in November, grew up a Tigers fan. His father, Alan, played running back at Auburn for two years.

"I'm used to going to the Auburn games and being on their side," Evans said. "The fans and stuff, they'll be going against me, but at the end of the day the decision was for me, only me and my family. I'm going to enjoy it regardless whatever school I would have picked. Ultimately it was a decision for me."

Evans' father believes his son will "be pulling for Auburn all the way up to the Iron Bowl."